Photo book chronicles six years of Mayhem Fest

At first blush, the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival crowd might not appear to be the most bookish of audiences. But the festival’s first six years have generated a pretty formidable book.

“Mayhem: 2008-2013” is an appropriately heavy — literally — 307-page coffee table book documenting the festival through the lens of an assortment of photographers, primarily official shooter Strati Hovartos. But in addition to his own images, Hovartos reached out to colleagues who have shot the tour, as well as Slipknot’s Shawn “Clown” Crahan and Machine Head’s Rob Flynn, who provide behind-the-scenes images.

“I really wanted people to get the complete perspective of what the Mayhem Festival is,” Hovartos writes in his introduction, noting that the other contributors “all bring their own unique composition and perspective to this Mayhem book.”

“Mayhem: 2008-2013” — with forewords by Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor and festival founders Kevin Lyman and John Reese — sells for $49.90 and is available at the shows and www.rockstarmayhemfest.com.